When we talk about violent crime in the United States, the conversation often centers around cities with large Black populations—places like St. Louis, Baltimore, Detroit, Memphis, and Little Rock. These cities have more in common than demographics. They also share similar economic profiles: their economies are largely dependent on logistics and healthcare—industries that are essential but limited in their ability to create upward mobility at scale.

Compare that to the five least violent cities in America. Their economic engines are powered by tech, education, and finance—industries that not only attract top-tier talent but also promote intellectual growth, entrepreneurial thinking, and long-term wealth generation. In those cities, people are incentivized to innovate, learn, and invest. In the most violent cities? You move packages or patch people up after they’ve been hurt.

But that’s not the full story. Let’s be real.

Cities like Detroit and Memphis didn’t just happen into crime—they were shaped by decades of disinvestment, economic collapse, and government complacency. Detroit banked everything on the auto industry. Memphis became overly reliant on FedEx. When those companies stumbled, the cities did too. And as we’ve seen time and time again, when companies tighten the belt, it's Black middle managers and frontline workers who are laid off first. That’s when the survival instinct kicks in. The rent’s due. The fridge is empty. The grind turns into desperation. And the numbers show it.

But at The Black Prospectus, we don’t just report the problem. We prescribe solutions. Below are real strategies that can help reduce crime while uplifting communities in the process:

1. Require Data-Driven Governance at the Local Level

How can city councils make good policy when they don’t even know what their residents are earning, spending, or saving? Local leaders should track monthly household income, discretionary spending, mortgage burdens, and neighborhood investment levels—not wait for the Census Bureau to give them a snapshot every 10 years. We need a culture of civic intelligence. Only then can municipalities create tax policies, incentives, and infrastructure plans that support—not sabotage—Black neighborhoods.

2. Launch “Education & Innovation Committees” in Every City Council

Standardized curriculums don’t prepare Black youth for a tech-dominated future. We need civic-backed task forces to assess—and modernize—what students are learning. That means introducing robotics, coding, data analytics, and personal finance in middle and high schools. And let’s not forget our future blue-collar entrepreneurs—plumbers, electricians, mechanics. These are the small business owners of tomorrow, and they need equal investment and skill-building too.

3. Offer Tax Incentives to Attract Tech & Startups to Underserved Cities

Not every coder is trying to move to San Francisco. Not every entrepreneur dreams of Austin. There are thousands of talented individuals—especially young Black men and women—who are looking for opportunities at home. It’s up to local leaders to create those opportunities. If you offer smart tax breaks and inclusive community partnerships, tech companies will come. And when they do, they bring jobs, training programs, and innovation that can reshape entire neighborhoods.

4. Normalize Wealth Building in the Community

If we can normalize $600 car payments and bottle service, we can normalize investing $50/month into an ETF. Local governments and economic development agencies should partner with wealth management firms to create community-based investment literacy programs. These firms don’t just serve rich people—they serve anyone who wants to grow their money. And if we can get Black residents to see themselves as investors, we change the culture of wealth from reactive to proactive.

Let’s stop acting like crime just happens in a vacuum. It’s not random. It’s not innate. It’s systemic—and often economically engineered. But here’s the good news: systems can be redesigned.

We don’t need another commission to study the violence. We need local governments that prioritize data, education, innovation, and community capital. Until then, the list of the most violent cities will continue to mirror the list of forgotten ones.

But The Black Prospectus believes that the forgotten can—and will—lead the future.